Iraqi Army Says Tikrit Next Target After Baiji
The Iraqi army announced that its next target is to isolate terrorists holding the city of Tikrit, after having broken ISIL’s hold on Baiji and its refinery, as PM Haidar Al-Abadi asserted that the military advances and nears victory against ISIL.
“Over the next three days, we will work on reinforcing our capacity because we are planning to clear areas on three sides of Tikrit,” an army brigadier general said.
Tikrit is the second largest Iraqi city under ISIL control.
The town of Baiji lies north of Tikrit along the Tigris River and the brigadier general said Iraqi forces would also close in on the key city from Samarra to the south and from eastern regions.
The government of Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi scored one of its most significant victories last week when its forces recaptured Baiji.
Iraqi forces also broke a months-long siege on the nearby Baiji oil refinery, the country’s largest, and joined up with elite troops who had been holding off ISIL onslaughts for months.
The US central command issued a statement Monday saying that five of the 20 air strikes carried out by the US-led coalition over the past three days were in the Baiji area.
“They struck two tactical ISIL units and one large ISIL unit and destroyed one ISIL tank, one ISIL vehicle, and four ISIL fighting positions,” it said.
The brigadier general in the Salaheddin operations command said the army was now fully in control of Baiji.
“It’s firmly in our grip but it doesn’t mean that IS will not carry out attacks here and there,” he said.
Other security sources said some IS fighters remained in the vicinity of the refinery
Al- Manar News
R.S